It could have been alien elves. There was no other immediate explanation for a 7-foot-tall gingerbread monolith that mysteriously appeared in a San Francisco park.

It’s not clear how edible the structure was, but witnesses reported the texture and smell of the monolith panels seemed to be the real thing — and it was decorated with icing.

The monolith appeared early Christmas Day on a hilltop in Corona Heights Park overlooking the Castro neighbourhood.

Resident Ananda Sharma told KQED public radio that he went for a run in the park early Friday and spotted what he initially thought was a “big post” — but as he ran closer, he could smell the gingerbread. 

The structure was the latest in a series of monoliths that have appeared — and disappeared — from Utah to the Isle of Wight. The San Francisco version appears to be the first made of a Christmas treat.

Neighbours and city officials appeared to enjoy it. 

Informed by KQED News about the new monolith, San Francisco recreation and parks department general manager Phil Ginsburg responded: “Wow. Even makes a Jewish parks director smile.”

Ginsburg said there were no immediate plans to remove the monolith, and it could stay, at least for the time being.

“Looks like a great spot to get baked,” Ginsburg quipped like a true Californian. “We will leave it up until the cookie crumbles.”

“We all deserve a little bit of magic right now,” he said.

“I just thought it was hilarious,” said Raemond Bergstrom-Wood, who lives nearby. 

Jeffrey Tumlin, director of transportation at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, called the “expertly-iced” monolith the “perfect act of SF 2020 defiance.”